HYDROGEN VENHICLE INNOVATION
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric vehicles like the Mirai are just the start for hydrogen power. As a viable alternative to fossil fuels, hydrogen not only has the potential to cut global emissions in public and commercial transportation, it’s already moving us towards a society that’s entirely hydrogen based.From fork lift and heavy duty trucks to the Caetanobus and Energy Observer ship, Toyota fuel cell technology is already making a difference on land and sea. And from next year it will power an entire community. Toyota’s Woven City, a prototype city at the base of Mount Fuji, will offer a fully connected ecosystem powered solely by hydrogen fuel cells.
A hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle (HFCV for short) uses the same kind of electric motor to turn the wheels that a battery-electric car does. But it's powered not by a large, heavy battery but by a fuel-cell stack in which pure hydrogen (H2) passes through a membrane to combine with oxygen (O2) from the air, producing the electricity that turns the wheels plus water vapor. What this means is that a fuel-cell vehicle is technically a series hybrid, which is why they are sometimes classified as fuel-cell hybrid electric vehicles (FCHEV).
To scientists, hydrogen isn't actually a fuel but an energy carrier. Ignore that distinction, though, because HFCV drivers refill their vehicles' carbon-fiber high-pressure tanks at "hydrogen fueling stations" very similar in concept to the old reliable gas station, with a similar five-minute refueling time.
Hydrogen Cars Safe?
HFCVs are widely considered as safe as any other car; since the high-pressure tanks are designed to survive even the highest-speed crashes without leaking or breaching. While hydrogen skeptics routinely cite the Hindenburg explosion of 1937, the hydrogen tanks and their hardware would likely survive even if the rest of the car were destroyed in a crash. No injuries or deaths specific to the hydrogen components have been recorded in the relatively small number of HFCVs sold to date.
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Reference : https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a41103863/hydrogen-cars-fcev/